Josh Mack blogging at the intersection of technology and the liberal arts, and occasionally on; bicycles, politics, Brooklyn, parenting, crafts, and good reading. Currently helping to build a new NYC neighborhood news site - nearsay.com, that celebrates the voices that make our city. Subscribe to the daily newsletter it gives you what you need to know.

This is an amazing bike for sale. A bit too large for me. Auction goes to Oct 4th and I bet it will be a great deal as it is more of a specialized item. I would love this if only I could will myself to grow a few inches.

DesignSpongeOnline moves from blogspot: Very exciting! DesignSponge one of my favorite mini-media empires, is moving their operation from multiple blogger blogs strung together to a new site. Started by fellow Brooklynite, Grace Bonney it is a daily read for me. If you haven't seen it visit. It will be nice to see this expand. They could be like SeriousEats or 101 Cookbooks.

September 25, 2007

B and I both regret not being in bands so the question is how much pressure/encouragement will Willa find herself getting as she gets older? If she does have an interest I hope it will end up something like the Care Bears on Fire which I saw on a Brooklyn blog earlier today. I know they got some coverage last summer so this isn't cutting edge but it's really enjoyable. I see from their myspace page that their album is coming out and that they have a show at SouthPaw.

We've been thinking of getting Candelas for the nursery. Really interesting story about how a niche design product hits the mainstream and the choices small businesses have to make in dealing with success.

September 24, 2007

How is an item of clothing from J. Crew a "true collector's item"? They've been sending me this term in e-mails lately. In this case it is a pair of frayed button-fly "officer's chino". Who collects khakis? Is there a resale value? Did they see service in a war? Should I keep them "mint" in their box? Since they are already frayed will they carry with them the mark of authenticity in the daily campaign that is my office job?

This article reminds me of some of the great list connections in Calvin Trillin's Tepper's Isn't Going Out. Since I will one day buy a new car so my radio listening is greater than average? I guess since it will probably be a Saab or a Volvo that would ac

This is a very smart and hopefully good service as we all begin to deal with aging parents and their care. In the case of my grandmother a site with great information and resources would have been very handy.

September 19, 2007

Fred Wilson on feeling a slowdown. Question is if he is right how to handle it. Personally the last one really threw me of my game. I left a very good job for a startup filled with promise two weeks before the market crashed, we were early, didn't get fun

I had no idea that buildings had their own Wikipedia pages. Following a link to the 255 McKibben Street entry I found this entry on The Majestic, the building I grew up in. Nice to see it since we get up to the Upper West Side a few times a year now.

September 17, 2007

On Wednesday the NYT is going to end TimesSelect. A friend forwarded me the note to the staff there.

Dear Colleagues:

Effective Wednesday, September 19, we are ending TimesSelect. All of our online readers will now be able to read Times columnists, access our archives backto 1987 and enjoy many other TimesSelect features that have been added over the last two years - free.

Why the change?

Since we launched TimesSelect in 2005, the online landscape has altered significantly. Readers increasingly find news through search, as well as through social networks, blogs, and other online sources. In light of this shift, we believe offering unfettered access to New York Times reporting and analysis best serves the interest of our readers, our brand, and the long-term vitality of our journalism. We encourage everyone to read our news and opinion - as well as share it, link to it and comment on it.

By taking this step, we expect to see a significant increase in the numberof unique users who turn to NYTimes.com, already the No.1 newspaper-ownedsite on the Web, and we'll regain some of the New York Times readers we may have lost. The growing audience will bring in additional advertising dollars that will, we expect, more than replace the approximately $10million of annual TimesSelect subscription revenue.

Our TimesSelect experience has provided us with many valuable lessons that have helped us turn NYTimes.com into an even more informative, community-oriented, interactive and entertaining site. We welcome all online readers to enjoy the popular and powerful voices that have defined Times commentary - Maureen Dowd, Thomas L. Friedman, Frank Rich, Gail Collins, Paul Krugman, David Brooks, Bob Herbert and Nicholas D. Kristof. And we invite them to become acquainted with our exclusive online journalism - columns by Stanley Fish, Maira Kalman, Dick Cavett and Judith Warner; the Opinionator blog; and guest forums by scientists, musicians and soldiers on the frontlines in Iraq. All this will now reach a broader audience in the United States and around the world. We want to thank everyone who has contributed to TimesSelect. You should be very proud of what you accomplished, creating one of the Web's outstanding opinion forums.

Yesterday marked the 156th anniversary of the first issue of The New York Times. Our long, distinguished history is rooted in a commitment to innovation, experimentation and constant change. All three themes were plainly evident in the skillful execution of TimesSelect; they will be on full display as NYTimes.com becomes entirely open.

Sincerely,

Vivian Schiller, Andy Rosenthal and Jonathan Landman

I'm pleased but at the same time wondering if they are going to offer refunds or vouchers to the NYT's store. Also wondering if I'm going switch from daily delivery to just weekends now that I can access some of the great stuff they've been doing for free.